The Act of Marriage
AuthorsTim LaHaye and Beverly LaHaye
CountryUnited States
SubjectChristian studies books, Marriage, Self-help books, Sex manuals
PublisherZondervan
Publication date
1976, 1998 Updated edition
Pages400
ISBN978-0-310-21200-3

The Act of Marriage: The Beauty of Sexual Love is a self-help book, written by Christian writers Tim LaHaye and Beverly LaHaye.

Summary

The Act of Marriage explains the sexual satisfaction for Christian married couples.[1] It is based on several books of the Bible, notably the Song of Songs.[2] Indeed, the book is noteworthy for opening up dialogue among Christians about their sexuality[3] —especially female sexuality and sexual satisfaction.[4][5] It discusses birth control and concepts of sexology.[6]

Reception

In 2016, 2.5 million copies of the book were sold.[6]

Criticism

Rolling Stone magazine criticized the book as "an explicit Christian sex manual, condemning petting, abortion and homosexuality."[7] However, many Christian groups hail the book as a milestone in contemporary Christian sex education.[8][9][10][11]

Academic study

Within academia, The Act of Marriage is viewed as an interesting insight into the ever changing relationship between mainstream religion and sexual practice. Michigan State Professor, Amy DeRogatis, took a deep look at this book and others of the sort to explore the impacts they have on gender roles within Protestant Evangelical tradition.[12] While it pushes the boundaries of accepted sexual practice within Evangelical heterosexual marriage to that point, it upholds a strictly complementarian view of gender. At some points within the text it describes men as "beasts" and "uncontrollable" in the context of sexual desire, while it paints women as pleasers and far less sexual than their husbands.[13] Although this seems overly traditionalist, they were not out of line with commonly held cultural belief.

References

  1. ↑ C. E. Cerling, Jr., Sexual Technique For Christians, christianitytoday.com, USA, March 18, 1977
  2. ↑ Amy DeRogatis, What Would Jesus Do? Sexuality and Salvation in Protestant Evangelical Sex Manuals, 1950s to the Present, Church History, v. 74, UK, March 13, 2005, p. 107
  3. ↑ Roger Chapman (2010). Culture Wars: An Encyclopedia of Issues, Viewpoints, and Voices. M.E. Sharpe. p. 313. ISBN 978-0-7656-2250-1.
  4. ↑ review by Martha Cornog for Library Journal Archived August 29, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ Heller, J. 2002. "Marriage, Womanhood, and the Search for 'Something More': American Evangelical Women's Best-selling 'Self Help' Books, 1972–1979", The Journal of Religion and Pop Culture, 2. "The Journal of Religion and Popular Culture". Archived from the original on 2012-03-18. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  6. 1 2 Jonathan Zimmerman, Tim LaHaye's sex-ed legacy: Before he wrote novels about the apocalypse, he and his wife opened right-wing Christian married couples' eyes, nydailynews.com, USA, July 29, 2016
  7. ↑ "Reverend Doomsday" in the Rolling Stone
  8. ↑ Daniel Radosh (April 9, 2008). "Holy sex!". Salon.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2008.
  9. ↑ Laura M. Brotherson, CFLE. ""Don't Forget the Honeymoon!"". Meridian Magazine. Archived from the original on August 28, 2008.
  10. ↑ "Husband / Wife Relations". familyfed.org. Archived from the original on October 20, 2008.
  11. ↑ "Marriage Moments". www.marriagemoments.org.
  12. ↑ DeRogatis, Amy (March 13, 2005). "What Would Jesus Do? Sexuality and Salvation in Protestant Evangelical Sex Manuals, 1950s to the Present". Church History. 74 (1): 97–137. doi:10.1017/S0009640700109679. S2CID 162650465 – via Cambridge University Press.
  13. ↑ LaHaye, Tim, and Beverly LaHaye. The Act of Marriage: The Beauty of Sexual Love. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1998.
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